Opinions Throughout History: Refugees & Asylum Seekers
The inscription on the Statue of Liberty reads “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” reflecting America’s role, during the golden age of immigration, as a refuge for those fleeing economic destitution, governmental oppression, and warfare. Over the centuries, the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers has been a controversial issue, and Americans are divided between the desire to lend humanitarian aid to those in need and the desire to withhold the benefits of American citizenship for the American born.
Over the years, the political debate over America’s status as a refugee nation has also incorporated elements of race and racial prejudice as well as cultural xenophobia, and it has forced Americans to confront what characteristics are or should be considered part of America’s central ideology and identity. This volume of Opinions Throughout History looks at how our ideas about refugees and America’s status as an asylum country has changed over time.
Refugees & Asylum Seekers begins with a detailed Introduction that discusses the origins of the term “refugee” and the broader historical context in which this concept emerged in Europe as the Protestants sought refuge from the persecution of the Catholic church in France. The introduction also provides detailed background information around refugee law in the United States and the moral issues surrounding it.
Following the Introduction, is a Historical Timeline which covers relevant events from the mid-1500s to the present day, including the establishment of the Jamestown Colony, The War of 1812, the Chinese Revolution, the Sanctuary Movement, and the Venezuelan refugee crisis, to name a few.
The 28 chapters featured in this volume examine how attitudes surrounding those seeking refuge in the United States have changed from the colonial era to the modern refugee crisis. Exploring the changing laws and opinions along with relevant primary and secondary source documents, this volume provides a close-up look at the complex, ever-evolving issues surrounding refugees.
Chapters in this volume explore a variety of relevant topics, including:
- The Irish famine
- World War II refugees
- Cold War refugees
- Natural Disasters
- The Sudan Civil War
- The Syrian refugee crisis
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Palestinian refugee crisis
Each chapter starts with a brief Introduction, List of Topics Covered, and the source document discussed in the chapter. The body of the text discusses the document from its historical context to its relationship to contemporary public opinion. Most documents are reprinted in their entirety and clearly distinguished by a shaded title bar. In addition to helpful subtitles, photos and other images enhance the text. Each chapter ends with a brief Conclusion, thoughtful Discussion Questions, and a list of Works Used.
This exciting series offers a wide range of insights into long-standing issues that Americans are most concerned about, and those that have encouraged vigorous debate among politicians and citizens at large. Using carefully-chosen original documents that cover a wide time span, Opinions Throughout History weaves a thoughtful and easy-to-understand analysis of how public opinion is formed and evolves, starting the discussion at an historical, seminal moment, and ending with where we stand today. This comprehensive, timely volume is a must for large public libraries, university libraries and social science departments, along with high school libraries.
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